In September 2019, the University of Michigan Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design will host the New Media Caucus 2019 Symposium and Exhibition, Border Control.  Symposium and exhibition events will take place in Ann Arbor at the Stamps School of Art and Design (2000 Bonisteel Blvd.) and Stamps Gallery (201 S. Division St.).

Exhibition Dates: September 20 - November 10, 2019
Symposium Dates: September 19 - 22, 2019
Guest Curator: Allison Collins, Media Arts Curator, Western Front

Curated by Allison Collins in collaboration with Carrie Edinger and Srimoyee Mitra.
In partnership with the New Media Caucus

Human migration is a defining issue of the 21st century, often calling into question the relevance, role, and responsibilities of national borders across the globe. As individuals seek refuge from geopolitical and environmental forces, we become an increasingly globalized community. Demarcations of all types are simultaneously porous and closed, defensive and receptive, and seen in almost every facet of our existence. Border Control responds to these conditions with an open-ended question, asking: “How has humanity made sense of the world in relation to borders and boundaries, both physically and psychologically?” While positioned within (or outside of) defined spaces and identities, human refusal of such literal definitions is paramount. Even while lines drawn have important consequences for lived reality, the winds, currents, and natural energies of the Earth deny enclosures and definitions that politics and maps might suggest.

Drawn from practices that are touched or driven by new media, Border Control assembles works by artists who consider geographical contexts, patterns of migration, displacement, and statelessness. Collectively, they offer projects with subterfuge, refusal, and reconsideration of imposed state-sanctioned boundaries.